The expansion of the 'metrobus' to those municipalities is advocated by the municipalities involved and by the Intermunicipal Community of the Coimbra Region (CIMRC), with the government's order to Metro Mondego following the Minister of Infrastructure's admission that this possibility was being studied.

Municipality of Condeixa-a-Nova

The mayor of Condeixa-a-Nova, Liliana Pimentel, told the Lusa news agency that she had been informed of a government order mandating Metro Mondego (MM) to proceed with the projects necessary to expand the SMM in her municipality.

“We have already received confirmation that there is a decision to extend the line to Condeixa-a-Nova,” she indicated.

Speaking to Lusa, the mayor considered that “it is a very significant step” and admitted that she received the information “with great joy.”

“It confirms something that the Minister [of Infrastructure] said during his last visit to Coimbra, that it is to move forward and will move forward during this term,” she explained.

The mayor acknowledged that what they “really wanted was for the financial allocation to also cover this expansion,” pointing out that the economic and financial feasibility study commissioned by the Intermunicipal Community of the Coimbra Region “clearly shows” that the expansion to Condeixa-a-Nova “is highly beneficial to the operation.”

“The level of use that the residents of Condeixa will have, even in relation to other locations such as Lousã, Miranda [do Corvo], and even Cantanhede, is three times greater. The entry of Condeixa is absolutely necessary, even to financially leverage [the project] and for the financial balance of the operation as a whole,” she argued.

Municipality of Cantanhede

The mayor of Cantanhede, Helena Teodósio, also confirmed to Lusa today that her municipality was notified of the Government's order, stating that, on Friday, in a meeting as president of the CIMRC with Metro Mondego, she was told that that entity had been mandated to “carry out studies, projects and other tasks” associated with the expansions.

Helena Teodósio recalled that the CIMRC had already carried out an in-depth study of possible expansions in the past, with the expectation that Metro Mondego would move forward with execution projects.

“It is a very important measure for each of the territories. There may be a need to take this [preliminary] study and do some necessary analysis, but the main work is done and, if there is nothing that conflicts, we have to move forward with the execution projects,” she stressed, advocating for speed in this process.

Welcoming the Government's willingness to move forward with the expansions, Helena Teodósio also highlighted the importance of this process proceeding in parallel with the high-speed line serving Coimbra, allowing for complementarity with the railway.

As president of CIMRC, Helena Teodósio considered these expansions also fundamental to the affirmation of Coimbra as a metropolitan region.

Municipality of Mealhada

The mayor of Mealhada, António Jorge Franco, also confirmed that he was aware that Metro Mondego had been mandated to proceed with the studies and projects necessary to expand the SMM in his municipality.

“There are still some analyses to be done regarding Mealhada, but it seems good to me. Above all, my concern and the concern of all of us in Mealhada is to have access to Coimbra and vice versa as quickly as possible,” he argued.

For the mayor, the priority is to ensure that the distance between the municipalities of Mealhada and Coimbra is covered as quickly as possible, “whether by metro, train, metro line or metro in BRT [Bus Rapid Transit]”.

This fast connection is fundamental for the benefit of the entire population that works and lives, whether in Coimbra, Mealhada, or this area,” he indicated.

Recently, the Secretary of State for Mobility, Cristina Pinto Dias, stated in a social media post that Metro Mondego was mandated to carry out “studies with a view to expanding” the ‘metrobus’.